Characterization of Mg-Zn-Al casting alloys using transmission electron microscopy

Mg alloys are light-weight, but their strength is not as good as other light alloys like Al alloys. The strength of Mg alloys is closely related to their microstructure, so a deep fundamental understanding of the microstructure can help to further improve their properties. Mg-Zn-Al casting alloys is a type of low-cost Mg alloys that can show significant age hardening response, but their microstructure has not been detailed studied. In this thesis, the primary intermetallic particles and solid-state precipitates in the Mg-Zn-Al alloys are investigated in detail down to the atomic-scale, using various electron microscopy techniques.